Battle for the King's Hill
| date | February 3, 1864 |
|---|---|
| place | Ober-Selk |
| output | Austrian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 4538 men | about 1000 men |
| losses | |
|
96 dead |
42 dead |
Missunde - Königshügel - Danewerk - Schlei - Oeversee - Jutland - Vejle - Jasmund - Düppeler Schanzen - Fredericia - Helgoland - Alsen - Lundby - North Frisian Islands
In the battle of Ober-Selk and around the Königshügel in the German-Danish war , the Austrian Major General Gondrecourt and his infantry brigade succeeded in occupying the area in front of the Danewerk near Ober-Selk and taking the strategically important Königshügel .
procedure
After the fighting began on February 1, 1864 (see prehistory in the Prinzenpalais ), the first order of the day provided for: transition over the Eider and advance to concern , for February 2 transition to concern and advance to the Hütten and Norby line .
On February 3rd, hardly anyone expected a serious clash, because there was no reason to be seen why the Danish armed forces should face the actual position, the Danewerk . The Austrian Army Corps marching in line under FML von Gablenz advanced on Fahrdorf , Ober-Selk and Jagel : the Brigades Gondrecourt and Tomas in front and the Brigades Nostiz and Dormus behind as reserves.
Battle at Ober-Selk
The Tomas Brigade (Infantry Regiment No. 6, Colonel von Feldegg and Infantry Regiment No. 80, Colonel Count Auersperg) occupied Fahrdorf because there was a defensive gate of the Danewerk at this point and they wanted to be sure not to hit the flank when proceeding against Ober-Selk to be caught. Now the Gondrecourt Brigade, consisting of four battalions (the Bohemian 18th Jäger Battalion with two guns, two battalions of the Infantry Regiment No. 30 “Baron Martini” (Colonel Baron Abele) and a battalion of the Infantry Regiment No. 34 “King of Prussia” moved in. (Colonel Benedek), plus three squadrons of Lichtensteiner Hussars with six guns).
At 12:15 p.m. the column passed Brekendorf and was advancing towards Ober-Selk when the avant-garde encountered a Danish battalion. A battalion of Regiment No. 30 advanced immediately to the right of the path, while the 18th Jäger Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel von Tobias) approached from the left. The Danes, on the other hand, used the hedgerows or hedgerows so typical of a moor landscape to seek cover and defend themselves there. On the Danish side, the 3rd Division (Lieutenant General Steinmann ) had three battalions and 4 guns on outposts from Fahrdorf around the Noor via Altmühl, Selk to Jagel that morning. Here it was possible to inflict heavy losses on the attackers. Nevertheless, the Austrians continued to advance and stood in front of Ober-Selk at around 1:30 p.m. At 2 p.m. a passage opened at the Danewerk and Danish infantry moved out onto the area in front of them: In front the 1st Battalion of the 11th Regiment under Major Rist, which was advancing to Ober-Selk; the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment under Captain JCT Thalbritzer; the 2nd Battalion of the 21st Regiment under Major OCF Sabye and the sister battalion, the 1st Battalion of the 21st Regiment under Captain W. Hackke, which marched to Klosterkro . Then the 1st Battalion of the 9th Regiment under Major J. Nørgaer, which was reinforced from the left by the 1st Battalion of the 20th Regiment under Major SPL Schack and advised directly on the Königshügel. Here the attackers now faced an enemy of about 24 companies. The battery chief of the Gondrecourt Brigade, Captain Modricki, took up position with his guns east of the road on the front plateau north of Ober-Selk and supported him by bombarding the enemy guns on King's Hill. After the position of the Danes was ripe for storming with guns, the 18th Jäger Battalion advanced to attack Ober-Selk and took it after a brief resistance.
Attack on the King's Hill
The goal for the day had already been achieved. But Major General Gondrecourt immediately recognized that the village could only be secured by taking the royal hill opposite . Here, too, the Danes defended by skillfully exploiting the curtsey and not only received the attacking Austrians with scatter guns, but also went over to the bayonet attack. But at 4 p.m. the Austrian flag waved on the Königshügel. While the 18th Jäger Battalion remained on the Königshügel, the remaining battalions pursued the enemy back into the opposite valley. Here the Austrians again suffered heavy losses, as they were now being shot at by rifle fire and position guns from the Danewerk. So they retreated back to the Königshügel, which they immediately began to arm.
Battle of Jagel
The capture of the dearly bought Königshügel was strategically important, as its prominent location provided an insight into the entire Danewerk position. When the King's Hill was taken, a battalion of Infantry Regiment No. 34 "King of Prussia" from Lottorf crossed the railway line on the left wing to take action against Jagel . The enemy was met here at 2:30 p.m. But here too the enemy was quickly pushed back with bayonet attacks on Klosterkrug. Here also the 10th Company of the Prussian Queen Augusta Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 4 intervened in the fighting. Two Danebrogs were finally conquered over the Jagel . The advance could initially be stopped with two Danish grenade cannons when the 9th Jäger Battalion from Styria finally reached into the left flank of the enemy from the right. This finally moved the Danes to withdraw into the small Danewerk.
result
Theodor Fontane remembered the Austrian units in the German War of 1866 during the Battle of Podol :
“Podol was occupied by the Poschacher brigade, the so-called“ iron brigade ”(consisting of the Martini and King of Prussia regiments and the 18th Jäger Battalion); it was the same brigade that stormed the Königshügel in the Schleswig war and, by taking away this dominant position, contributed very significantly to the conquest of the Danes. "
By gaining the fore area, it was now possible for the Allies to station heavy artillery. Here the great disadvantage of the Danewerk as a medieval defensive position became clear. It was a rampart and not a modern trench system and therefore easy to fight with artillery. This was one of the reasons why the Danewerk had to be given up on February 5, 1864. See point 5 of the reasons for withdrawal:
"5. that the enemy has gathered at least 50,000 men and has thus occupied the terrain which should be occupied by our outposts for security and which can hardly be regained. The enemy has also already established its artillery. "
Königshügel memorial
A memorial with the epitaph was erected for the fallen :
Your at Ober-Selk, Jagel, on Königsberg and at Wedelspang on III February MDCCCLXIV fallen comrade-in-arms.
May
this wreath be wound to the brave companions, Who
found their cold grave
here in strange earth
. -
The good comrades,
full of high heroism, who
bought our victory
with their heart's blood. -
Home to Austria's
Gauen
Floating on the wings of fame
The name of all the heroes
From the grave on King's Hill .
The Imperial and Royal Brigade GM Graf Gondrecourt
XVIII. Field Hunter Battalion
XXX. Inft. Rgmt. FML Baron Martini
XXXIV. Inf. Rgmt. King WI of Prussia
II. Esk. Prince Liechtenstein Huszars N. IX
IV. Pf. Batr .. N. II of the I. Art. Rgmts. Kaiser FJ
I. Platoon of the medical company.
Cenotaph and pictures
blackboard
Front
right side
Left side
View from Königshügel to Schleswig behind the Danewerk
kuk infantry from 1864
Austrian veterans around 1914
_01_ies.jpg)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Michael Embree: Bismarck's First War: The Campaign of Schleswig and Jutland 1864, p. 63
- ^ Michael Embree: Bismarck's First War: The Campaign of Schleswig and Jutland 1864, p. 75
- ↑ Michael Embree: Bismarck's First War: The Campaign of Schleswig and Jutland 1864, pp. 75-76
- ↑ the regiment is not after Vice Admiral Anton Stephan Martini named
- ↑ Theodor Fontane: Childhood, youth and war: My childhood years + When I was young - From twenty to thirty + War diaries: Prisoners of war - Experienced in 1870, The battlefield ... Big berries, Letters from the theater of war, Kindle edition, Musaicum Books (16 October 2017)
literature
- Gerd Stolz: The German-Danish fateful year 1864. Husum, Husum 2010, ISBN 978-3-89876-499-5 .
- Winfried Vogel : Decision 1864. The battle near Düppel in the German-Danish War and its significance for the solution of the German question. Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1987, ISBN 3-7637-5840-2 .
Coordinates: 54 ° 28 ′ 38.5 ″ N , 9 ° 33 ′ 50 ″ E